For the third straight season, the Ohio State Club Football team will play for a national championship.
The Buckeyes scored 42 points in the first quarter, en route to a 63-6 thrashing of host George Mason on Saturday, November 19. Quarterback Kellyn Gerenstein, who did not take a snap in the second half, accounted for 456 total yards and an incredible eight touchdowns against the Patriots.
Ohio State marched 80 yards on the opening possession of the game, capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Gerenstein. George Mason answered with a two-play scoring drive, however safety Christian Allen blocked the extra point, keeping the Buckeyes with a 7-6 lead. It was the only time George Mason would score.
Gerenstein broke two separate runs of 66 yards for touchdowns and added a 24-yard scamper for a score in the first half. He found Casey Scroggins and Abdou Keita twice each for touchdowns through their air, including an explosive 55-yard strike to Scroggins. Gerenstein completed 11-of-14 passes for 222 yards and four touchdowns and carried nine times for 234 yards and four scores.
Overall, the Buckeyes accounted for 559 yards of offense, the large majority of which came in the first half. Ohio State led 63-6 at halftime, leading to a running clock in the second half in which both teams largely ran out the clock with neither team recording a second half point.
Scroggins hauled in five passes for 95 yards, and his two scores gives him 14 touchdown receptions in seven played games this season. Running back Jalen Haley also steadied Ohio State’s offense, carrying 20 times for an even 100 yards and a late first half score.
Defensively, Ohio State posted its best performance of the season, collecting three interceptions and multiple fourth down stops. Cornerback Spencer Newkirk corralled his first two interceptions of the season, as did safety Giancarlo Carone. While he didn’t haul in an interception, cornerback Joe Umba played arguably his best performance of the season, tallying three stops and three pass breakups while defending Curtis Brooks, George Mason’s top receiver.
Allen led the Buckeyes in tackles with 10 and one tackle for loss, while linebacker Colby Stahl collected nine stops and a sack. Defensive end Trey Jones posted a pair of sacks against the Patriots, giving him 6.5 on the season to lead the team.
Ohio State is set to take on Gordon State College in the 2022 NCFA National Championship Game after the Highlanders throttled Sacred Heart University in the second NCFA Semifinal game, 55-7. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on December 3 at Waynesburg University in Pennsylvania.
Games Notes:
- With his eight touchdown performance, Kellyn Gerenstein surpassed 100 total career touchdowns. He now sits at 106 for his career, the most in NCFA history. His 36 total touchdowns this season ties the NCFA single-season record set last season by George Mason quarterback Chase Soper.
- George Mason’s six points were the fewest it has scored all season, and the best performance by Ohio State’s defense since shutting out Oakland 49-0 in 2021.
- Ohio State’s 63 points were the second most in team history, coming up just short of the 66 scored against UM-Flint in 2016.
- The 57-point win is the largest postseason margin of victory in NCFA postseason history.
- The Buckeyes scored touchdowns on all nine of their first half possessions.
- Ohio State is now 7-0 all-time against George Mason and 2-0 in games played on campus in Fairfax, VA.
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